Man in Black Chess

Ten Things You Never Knew About Will Smith
Wednesday, December 19 2007, 06:00 GMT
By Beth Hilton

He’s a Grammy-winning rapper, star of his own hit sitcom and leading man of summer blockbusters like Independence Day and Men in Black. He’s also been voted the most powerful actor on the planet, one of People magazine’s most beautiful people and is convinced he could be president of the US if he ever felt the inclination. Is there anything Will Smith can’t do? In between breaking world records and championing paperless loos, the former Fresh Prince has become a serious contender in Hollywood, with two Oscar nods under his belt. As new movie I Am Legend opens in cinemas across the land this week, we offer up ten fascinating facts about West Philadelphia’s most versatile star.

1. Will was born Willard Christopher Smith in 1968, the second of four children, to Willard, a refrigeration company owner and Caroline, a school administrator.

2. Will had an early growth spurt and reached his adult height of 6′ 2″ by the time he was 13. Way to go, Willard!

3. Will was a bit of a maths whiz at school and would have been a computer engineer if his showbiz dreams had fallen through. He says: “I probably would have been the guy who invented the remote control if I’d been around then.”

9. What does Will have in common with such luminaries as Madonna, Arnold Schwarzenegge, Bono and Jude Law? They all love northing more than sitting down to a challenging game of chess. “The elements and concepts of life are so perfectly illustrated on a chess board,” gushes Will, who learned from his dad at the age of seven.

Source: Digital Spy